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I feel like where I'm at today, I would have been at anyway had i started lifting at 18 when i entered college almost 5 years ago.

so i feel your pain kinda. varsity bball was fun tho.

you sure it was legs and not core fatigue that made the squats hard? my core fails before my legs do most of the time. did a couple of triples at 300 last night and they felt stronger than my squat has in a while, mostly because my core felt so stable.

did legs thursday. no bball.
did upper body + core friday. no bball
rested saturday
rested sunday

i think thats enough leg and core rest. regardless, it felt much easier last week and ive basically been doing the same routine. i did get slightly less sleep than i usually do though. also way less protein actually. ok i think i found the problem.

196lbs this mornning. What the heck? 10 days ago I was 186lbs.

I know that I've been eating some salty foods lately so a good portion of it is water weight. I've also definitely been in a caloric surplus so I have increased glycogen weight.

But 10 pounds? Damn. I really want to stay under 190 consistently again. I think i've gained like 2 pounds of fat in 10 days, which is pretty bad. maybe 3 pounds. Time to get my diet under control again.

Week 56

Thursday - 04/23/14
192lbs

-= Workout Log =-

Bench Press
45 x 15                      >> 2min rests.
95 x 8                        >> Might stick with 185 for another week before I move up.
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
245 x 1
185 x 10
185 x 10
185 x 10

ATG Squat
135 x 8                           >> 3min rests.
135 x 5
185 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 1
315 x 1
365 x 1
325 x 3
325 x 3
325 x 3
295 x 3

Incline DB Bench Press
60's x 12                       >> 60sec rests.
60's x 8

Deadlift
245 x 3
305 x 1
360 x 5

Back Extensions
20 x 12                       >> 60sec rests.
20 x 12
20 x 12

I squat/dead on mondays and thursdays. but i play intramural basketball on wednesdays. this makes my thursday squats really hard. was supposed to get 10 reps on the back up set today. got 3. i'm going to have to switch my upper and lower days. so i can squat tue, play ball wed, and squat fri. its just that i do rows on my upper body days, and i feel like it'll effect my squats and deads the next day.. we'll see how it plays out next week.

Shot up to 192lbs. Definitely the sodium from the chicken platter i ate. also caloric surplus the past few days putting in more muscle glycogen in me. I looked nice and full at the gym. I'd like to stay under 190lbs until I get back to my 365x3 squat though.

Any articles showing clear benefits of them? Like real scientific stuff. I already play basketball 1-3 times a week, so im not talking about movement efficiency and side hops and stuff. I mean depth drops and depth jumps.

I just can't help but think increasing squat:bw ratio, being coordinated, and practicing max effort jumps is enough. That it's simply not worth doing depth jumps and burning out your CNS when that energy could be used to increase my squat:bw ratio instead.

Just *how effective* are depth jumps in *actually* increasing your ROFD? Is it THAT much more effective than lifting a load at maximum effort? Remember, ROFD can be increased by even lifting 80% loads, as long as its with 100% effort...

FWIW, my vertical has 100% of the time correlated with my squat:bw ratio provided I had decent movement efficiency. Maybe once I get to a 2.5xbw squat that will change and I'll have to do plyometrics?

Week 56

Tuesday - 04/21/14

-= Workout Log =-

Hack Squat Machine Calf Raises
+90lbs x 5                         >> 60sec rests.
+180lbs x 3
+270lbs x 1
+235lbs x 15
+235lbs x 13
+235lbs x 10

Lateral Raises
30's x 3                      >> 60sec rests.
35's x 2
40's x 1
32.5's x 12
32.5's x 12
32.5's x 7

Pendlay Row
45 x 10                      >> 2min rests.
95 x 5
135 x 3
195 x 2
245 x 1
225 x 6
225 x 6
225 x 6

Seated Cable Rows
160 x 12                      >> 60sec rests.
160 x 12

Deficit Cable Crunches
100 x 12                                   >> 60sec rests.
100 x 12                                   >> These are insane. And my fav ab exercise ever. Holy shit after a year of these my abs will be ridic even at higher bodyfats.
100 x 6

Pull Ups
BW x 5                      >> 60sec rests.
+25lbs x 3
+50lbs x 2
+75lbs x 1
BW x 10
BW x 7
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5

Gym was full so I did my workout out of order. I feel like it made the lateral raises harder... usually i do my rows beforehand and I feel like that warms up my shoulders nicely. This also made my rows harder since my forearms were shot from the lateral raises. And for whatever reason, my pull ups dropped.

I played a game of full court basketball beforehand. Easilyyy threw down a two hander after it. I'm playing more often now. Can't wait to see how my vertical will react with some more movement efficiency. CAN NOT WAIT to be squatting 365x3 again and then slowly push to 385x3!!!




on the cable crunches... something thats bothering me.

idn if i should go elbows straight down to floor (i feel that more in my abs) or really "crunch" and go elbows to knees, which i feel like involves my hip flexors more.
I usually go elbows straight down to floor, which is why i added the deficit to increase ROM. but now i realize i may be bending at my hips when i do this and not the waist. my goal is ab hypertrophy.

i think i'll try elbows to knees again next workout and really focus on bending at the waist and not hips. maybe i wasnt doing it right and thats why i was feeling my hips being targeted a lot more.

maybe i should also try them like this:

http://exrx.net/AnimatedEx/RectusAbdominis/CBKneelingCrunch.gif

butt on heels at all times. that should take away the hips and make me use my waist.

Week 56

Monday - 04/20/14
191lbs

-= Workout Log =-

ATG Squat
135 x 8                      >> 2min rests.
135 x 5
185 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 1
315 x 1
345 x 3
275 x 8
275 x 8
275 x 8

Bench Press
45 x 15                      >> 2min rests.
95 x 8
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
185 x 10
185 x 10
185 x 8
185 x 4

Deadlift
245 x 3
305 x 1
360 x 5

Incline DB Bench Press
60's x 12                       >> 60sec rests.
60's x 8

Back Extensions
20 x 12                       >> 60sec rests.
20 x 12
20 x 12

Shot up to 191lbs somehow. Probably water weight.

Moving calf raises to my pull days. My push days are pretty long.

Week 55

Thursday - 04/16/14
186lbs

-= Workout Log =-

Bench Press
45 x 15                      >> 2min rests.
95 x 8
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
245 x 1
185 x 10
185 x 10
185 x 8
185 x 4

ATG Squat
135 x 8
135 x 5
185 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 1
315 x 1

Deadlift
245 x 3
305 x 1
375 x 1

Incline DB Bench Press
60's x 12                       >> 60sec rests.
60's x 8

Cable Crunches
100 x 12                       >> 60sec rests.
100 x 10
100 x 8

Really sore legs from yesterday's basketball. So I took it easy on legs today. Added abs today instead of doing them tomorrow. This way I can really focus on back and shoulders tomorrow.

I'll prob throw in another light squat and deadlift day on saturday too.

My bodyweight is consistently under 190lbs. That's awesome.